Characterizing homotopy of systems of curves on a compact surface by crossing numbers

DOI10.1016/0024-3795(95)00161-JMaRDI QIDQ1899430zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Maurits de Graaf, Alexander Schrijver

Publication date 16 April 1996

Published in Linear Algebra and its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3795(95)00161-j

zbMATH Keywords

minimum number of crossingsorientation-primitive closed curves on a compact surface

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Planar graphs; geometric and topological aspects of graph theory (05C10) Fundamental group, presentations, free differential calculus (57M05) Relations of low-dimensional topology with graph theory (57M15)

Review text

Two sets of closed curves \(C_1, \dots,C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots, C_k'\), are called homotopy equivalent if \(k = k'\) and (after possibly permuting the indices) one has that for each \(i\), \(C_i'\) is freely homotopic to either \(C_i\) or to \(C_i^{-1}\). Call a curve \(C\) orientation primitive if there does not exist an orientation-preserving curve \(D\) and an integer \(n\) such that \(D^n\) \((D\) traversed \(n\) times) is homotopic to \(C\). The authors prove the following Theorem: If \(C_1, \dots, C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots, C_k'\), are orientation-primitive closed curves on a compact surface \(S\), then the following two conditions are equivalent: (i) \(C_1, \dots, C_k\) and \(C_1', \dots C_k'\), are homotopy equivalent. (ii) For every closed curve \(D\) on \(S\), \[ \sum^k_{i = 1} \text{min cr} (C_i, D) = \sum^{k'}_{i = 1} \text{min cr} (C_i', D), \] where \(\text{min cr}(C, D)\) denotes the minimum of the number of crossings of curves \(\widetilde {C}\) and \(\widetilde {D}\) with \(\widetilde {C}\), \(\widetilde {D}\) homotopic to \(C\), \(D\), respectively. This result generalizes a result of the second author who treated the case of orientable surfaces \(S\) [Linear Algebra Appl. 114/115, 157-167 (1989; Zbl 0673.05027)].

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Cites work

• Algorithms for Jordan curves on compact surfaces
• Decomposition of graphs on surfaces and a homotopic circulation theorem
• Geometry of surfaces
• Homotopy and crossings of systems of curves on a surface

Cited in

(6)

• Intersections of curves on surfaces
• Homotopy and crossings of systems of curves on a surface
• Equivalent curves in surfaces
• Lower bounds for electrical reduction on surfaces
• Classifying simple closed curve pairs in the 2-sphere and a generalization of the Schoenflies theorem
• Curves on surfaces

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